Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is expected to defeat Republican Kari Lake in the next race for the Arizona Senate, facing a former local news anchor who lost his second consecutive election, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Gallego, who has served in the House for nearly a decade representing a Phoenix-based House seat, will succeed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) out. Sinema chose not to seek re-election after changing his political affiliation from Democrat to Independent last year, as Sinema faces a difficult re-election bid.
Gallego announced his challenge to Sinema even before he made it clear that he would not seek another term, putting Senate Democrats in a difficult position for a while to choose which Democrat they will support.
The Arizona Democrat leaned on his background as the son of a single mother, with family roots in Mexico and Columbia. He also showed his time in the Marines.
His victory comes as a small but significant relief for Democrats, who have had a disappointing election cycle this year. Although they managed to secure their Senate seats in the battleground states of Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan, in addition to Arizona, they also lost seats in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, and looked set to lose in Pennsylvania as well. They also lost control of the White House, while their hopes of keeping the House looked very dim.
Lake is a local media aide who ran for governor of Arizona in 2022, narrowly losing to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D). Lake became famous during his 2022 bid to deny the prominent election – something that came back to haunt him during his Senate bid as he continued to fight his 2022 loss in court.
Lake has also attracted controversy with some of his speeches. He angered some Republicans by making critical statements about the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — statements he objected to that were made in jest.
He previously called abortion a “great sin” and cheered for the repeal of an 1864 law that banned nearly all abortions in the state. Lake, this cycle, insisted that he would not vote for a state ban on abortion if elected to the Senate and said that abortion restrictions should be left to the states.
Lake faced a major challenger in Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, although Lake was widely seen as the GOP favorite.
At the same time, Gallego also faced questions as his Senate passed his record and whether his stance on issues such as immigration and the border had changed, as some pointed to his previous comments on the issue over the years, including calling for a border with Donald Trump. the wall is “stupid” and “dumb.”
Gallego was also a member of the House Progressive Caucus but later relinquished his membership, citing reasons in return. Republicans have sought to make the race national, seeking to tie Gallego to Democrats like Vice President Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) in the ads.
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